conversations with partner about aging (in which things get silly)

[untonuggan]

so maramcreates  and I were visiting with my friend yesterday. she just moved back to the area from NYC and is trying to save money for 6 months or so by staying with family, and is doing some caregiving for her grandmother. she was talking about her grandmother's deep-seated distrust for the digital thermostat and ensuing problems; I think everyone is familiar with these types of things to some degree. (i mean, the number of times we've gone to help parner's aunt's mom "fix the broken television" by pressing the input button a few times...)

anyway, maram and I were running some errands and speculating on what the equivalent culture shock might be once we get older (if we should live to see that day, etc.) it got silly fast. i share it here with you as comic relief.

me: so I went out to buy a birthday card for your birthday, but I couldn't because no one had any cards.
young person: that's right, grandma.
me: that's ridiculous! (in my day...)
young person: grandma, we don't give cards because it's a gift of saving trees and the environment. don't you remember?
me: yes but I just don't see what's wrong with giving one person a birthday card.
young person: yes but you're giving me a planet I can live on...

me: where are all my things?
young person: what things, grandma?
me: you know! my books and those knick-knacks and my clothes.
young person: well if you remember, we had to redistribute items based on need...
me: but i *liked* those things.
young person: ye-es, but you didn't *need* them.
me: well i want to go buy some more. take me to the store!
young person: stores don't exist, but I'll be happy to take you to the swap meet if you've got something you'd like to donate in return?
me: ...*ing hippies.

me: why does everyone keep calling me grandma? i didn't give birth to anyone!
young person: it's a sign of respect for our elders. everyone of your generation is called "grandma" or "grandpa".
me: ...what do you mean, my generation?

(to be perfectly clear, I don't have much problem with any of the above scenarios, except you're going to have to fight me for my books and my craft supplies.)

also, my friend and I were talking about how the internet giveth (wonderful things) and the internet taketh away (via trolls, etc.). we also started talking about how a lot of "modern inventions" have similar pluses and minuses, we just stop thinking of them that way after awhile.

like roads! you can go places! meet new people! have more job opportunities! on the other hand, there's traffic fatalities and young people joyriding and car exhaust. Also, if you look in the right historical newspapers you'll find hand-wringing articles about The Automobile (and possibly also asphalt roads, though it's not my time period so IDK) of a similar tone to those about The Dangers of the Internet.

i know this is not a new comparison (via "generational gaps" etc), just I think it bears repeating.

Comments

[alee_grrl]

I really enjoyed the scenarios y'all came up with.

Thinking about how generational gaps and how "new" technology is perceived made me think of a hilarious article I once saw about the dangers of books, specifically mass print books. It was written around the time that paper making and ink making became much cheaper, thus making mass production of affordable books possible. And it read like any one of the articles you can find bemoaning the evils of internet and smart phones. I now tend to use this comparison when discussing new tech fears since books are widely accepted as a good thing, whereas other tech, like t.v., is still up for debate in a lot of circles.

[alee_grrl]

So just after I left the above comment I headed over to Facebook and came across today's Bloom County strip. I saved it to my photobucket account so I could share it as it is hilariously pertinent to this discussion. :D

GIP

[jesse_the_k]

Thank you thank you thank you thank you.

And Bloom County is back? How did I miss this!

Re: GIP

[alee_grrl]

You're very welcome. :D

He's only posting new strips on his Facebook page. But let me tell you, when I opened up my Facebook account one morning and discovered new Bloom County material I was absolutely over the moon. As tempted as I often am to quit Facebook, I'll stay for the Bloom County strips.

[untonuggan]

That is an amazing Bloom County strip. :)

[silveradept]

Everything is strange and new and will remain that way for all of us, I think. And we learn to live with the downsides because, usually, the upsides are that much better.

[tyger]

There was also, back in the day, people bemoaning this whole writing thing, because then people wouldn't be using their memory properly.

Humanity is just really suspicious of new things, I think.

[untonuggan]

We really, really are. Like feral cats and strange item suspicious.

I mean when it's a new thing Banner and Stark invented in a lab that Jarvis thought was a bad idea, yes. I am deeply suspicious of that new thing.

Also, say, plant that no one has determined whether it is edible or not.

I remember my grandmother was deeply suspicious of daylight savings time, but not for the reasons I hate it (like it throws of my circadian rhythm for weeks, it doesn't actually help anything, and my cats get very cranky about food times). She was upset because something something messing with the Lord's time and Revelations? I don't know.

[tyger]

Yeaaaaaaah.

Everything I've heard about that movie points to it being the worst idea ever with each bit being its own bit of stupid, and I refuse to acknowledge any movie that kills off Jarvis, but generally speaking, yes.

I feel like I'm the only person who loves daylight savings. XD;;;; I wish it was just normal time tbh. Less light in the morning, which are terrible anyway! More light at night when going home/running errands/etc! It is win win as far as I'm concerned.

[redsixwing]

*s* I like your scenarios.